Local anesthetics (LAs) are noncompetitive antagonists of batrachotoxin (BTX) in voltage-gated Na+ channels. The putative LA receptor has been delineated within the transmembrane segment S6 in domain IV of voltage-gated Na+ channels, whereas the putative BTX receptor is within segment S6 in domain I. In this study, we created BTX-resistant muscle Na+ channels at segment I-S6 (micro1-N434K, micr...

Axonal transport of enzymatically active botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) from periphery to the CNS has been described in facial and trigeminal nerve, leading to cleavage of synaptosomal-associated protein 25 (SNAP-25) in central nuclei. Aim of present study was to examine the existence of axonal transport of peripherally applied BTX-A to spinal cord via sciatic nerve. We employed BTX-A-cleaved SNAP-2...

Background/Aims Botulinum toxin type A (BTX), a long-acting inhibitor of muscular contraction in both striated and smooth muscles, is responsible for gastric motility. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an endoscopic intragastric BTX injection on weight loss, body fat accumulation, and gastric emptying time. Methods The BTX group consisted of 15 obese rats in which 20 U o...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) acts as a neuromuscular blocker in the release of acetylcholine. Nevertheless, some clinical effects and side effects are difficult to explain only due to the peripheral mode of action. The aim of the study was to assess the central effects of BTX-A by measuring the two modalities of evoked potentials (somatosensory and brain-stem auditory)....

The purpose of this study was to compare the early or late expression levels of p65, Bcl-2, and type II myosin and the frequency of TUNEL-positive nuclei in the rat masseter muscle after injection of different concentrations of botulinum toxin-A (BTX-A). We injected either 5 U or 10 U of BTX-A into both masseter muscles of the rat. As a control group, the same volume of saline was injected. Aft...

Botulinum toxin (BTX) is a neurotoxic protein produced by Clostridium botulinum, an anaerobic bacterium. BTX therapy is a safe and effective treatment when used for functional silencing of the salivary glands in disorders such as sialoceles and salivary fistulae that may have a post-traumatic or post-operative origin. BTX injections can be considered in sialoceles and salivary fistulae after th...

Sodium current and sodium channel intramembrane gating charge movement (Q) were monitored in voltage-clamped frog node of Ranvier after modification of all sodium channels by batrachotoxin (BTX). BTX caused an approximately threefold increase in steepness of the Q vs. voltage relationship and a 50-mV negative shift in its midpoint. The maximum amount of intramembrane charge was virtually identi...

Programmed cell death is a prominent feature of neural development that is regulated by a variety of cell-cell interactions. We used the avian ciliary ganglion to dissect the relative contributions of target tissues vs. ganglionic inputs in regulating cell death. The two populations of the ciliary ganglion innervate different targets: choroid neurons innervate vasculature, whereas ciliary neuro...

BACKGROUND Botulinum toxin A (BTX) is the currently preferred symptomatic treatment for primary hemifacial spasm (HFS), but its long-term efficacy and safety are not known. OBJECTIVE To assess the long-term effectiveness and safety of BTX in the treatment of primary HFS. DESIGN Retrospective review of medical records of the 1st and 10th years of treatment. SETTING Outpatient clinics of 4 ...

The selective separation of aromatics (benzene, toluene and p-xylene, BTX) from aliphatic (n-heptane) is investigated using simple permeation and facilitated transport emulsion liquid membrane mechanism. The separation performances, represented by the permeation rate and separation factor, are analyzed systematically by varying the operating parameters. One of the major obstacles to the applica...